Reacting sharply to the UK's move to cap the number of visas issued to skilled professionals from the country, India today said such steps will "adversely" affect economic ties between the nations.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma met UK Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell here and discussed different various steps to enhance economic cooperation between the two sides, including visa-related measures.
The British government has fixed a cap of 21,700 on the number of visas issued to skilled workers from India and other countries outside the European Union from April, 2011. The move is likely to adversely impact the movement of Indian professionals seeking to do work in the UK.
"Sharma informed (Mitchell) that Indian companies are increasingly looking to the UK as a base of potential operation, (but) restrictions on the movement of people, especially professionals and highly skilled personnel will adversely affect the growing trade and economic partnership between India and the UK," an official statement said here.
During April-July, 2010-11, India's exports to the UK were valued at $1.95 billion, an increase of 1.2 per cent vis-a-vis the year-ago period. Imports from the UK during the same period stood at $1.4 billion.
Two-way commerce between the countries stood at $10.68 billion in 2009-10.
The major items exported from the UK include ready-made garments, gems and jewellery, petroleum products, leather footwear, while its major imports from India include precious and semi-precious stones, electronic goods, iron and steel and metal scrap.
British companies invested $6.16 billion in the Indian economy between April, 2000, and August, 2010, in sectors like oil and gas, electronics, industrial gases, financial services and research and development.
